Schuylerville edges Tamarac to clinch Wasaren title

By Laura Amato

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

CLUMS CORNERS - Every team goes into a game hoping to pull of a victory.

The Tamarac boys soccer team was no different than any other team on Tuesday night, facing off against Schuylerville in a Wasaren League battle, which secured a league championship for the Black Horses.

What separated the Bengals though from every one else was their reaction to their 2-1 loss.

They weren't quite as upset as you'd expect them to be.

In fact, the Tamrac squad was pretty happy with the way the overall night turned out as the Bengals successfully staged the game in honor of fellow classmate Rachael Murray, who was diagnosed with lymphoma earlier this year.

Although the score might not have read their way by the final whistle, the Bengals walked off the field with their heads held high, knowing that they had been able to make a difference in a way that was more important than a single soccer game.

"It was really good," said senior Aidan Glynn. "I know we lost, but it wasn't about that; it was about supporting Rachael."

Tamarac controlled the pace of the game from the get go, dominating time of possession through the first 15 minutes of the matchup.

Mid-way through the first half however, something shifted as the Bengals defense was forced to retreat against a solid Schuylerville offense front that capitalized on every Tamarac hesitation.

Both of those hesitations and mistakes occurred within two minutes of each other, as Schuylerville striker Dom Mercurio found the back of the net twice to give the Black Horses a 2-0 lead well before the end of the first half.

"I was just at the right spot at the right time," the senior said of his shots on goal. "I didn't expect that at all, really."

Both shots slid right past Tamarac goalie Brady McMurtry, who finished the game with three saves, and has been playing out of position throughout the season.

"For a keeper, who isn't a keeper, to step up and play that role, you can't be that upset," Bengals coach Charlie Meacham said. "He's actually a defender and this year we didn't really have a goalie, so we kind of had to put him in there."

Mercurio's early-game shots were just enough for the Black Horses to hold onto, despite a strong second half effort by Tamarac.

Once again, the Bengals took control of possession early on in the half, pounding nine shots at Schuylerville goalie Luke Pumiglia, who finished the game with 10 saves.

Tamarac was able to make a game of it, just a few minutes into the half as Glynn connected on a goal off a bounce back shot from Brendan McGrath's free shot.

"The goalie almost saved it, but it popped out so I just kicked it," Glynn said. "Instinct just kind of took over."

The goal gave the Bengals a bit of life throughout the second half, but they were never able to find the equalizer, unable to truly break open the Schuylerville defense.

"The heart is there, the skill is there, but for them to execute it's not quite there," Meacham said. "They just can't get that execution."

The Black Horses, who have just one league loss to their name and one more game in the regular season, were able to hold on for the league championship and the perfect confidence boost going into sectionals.

"I'm really proud of these guys," said Black Horses coach Dave Gauci said. "This has been a years worth of work."